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Breaking: Another Freakish White Truffle Comes to Town

<div class="image align_left"><img src="http://nymag.com/images/2/daily/food/07/11/14_truffle_sml.jpg"></div>We are so, so torn on the matter of the white truffle. Late last week, we professed our unconditional love for the fungi (and also learned that Alterna offers white-truffle haircare products) but, given that the <a href="http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/the-waverly-inn/">Waverly Inn</a> just raised their truffle macaroni and cheese to $85 and <a href="http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/le-cirque/">Le Cirque's</a> massive <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/10/le_cirque_bids_high_for_monste.html">truffle acquisition</a> and the <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/11/a_new_eastside_froyo_foe.html">truffle shortage</a> and the <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKN0527738520071107?pageNumber=2">$1,000 truffle bagel</a> and, you know, just the general deluge of "truffles are expensive and awesome"-related media as of late, we wondered if this whole white-truffle business had gotten <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/11/have_white_truffles_jumped_the.html">a little bit out of control</a>. Then our very own magazine came out on Monday, complete with <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/food/2007/11/its_truffles_truffles_and_more.html">more truffle talk</a>, and we knew that there was no point in fighting. There's nothing we can do but accept the darling 'shroom, regardless of whether we could ever afford it in our lifetimes.
And it's a good thing we've come to terms with the situation, because it just got a lot more intense.

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We are so, so torn on the matter of the white truffle. Late last week, we professed our unconditional love for the fungi (and also learned that Alterna offers white-truffle haircare products) but, given that the Waverly Inn just raised their truffle macaroni and cheese to $85 and Le Cirque's massive truffle acquisition and the truffle shortage and the $1,000 truffle bagel and, you know, just the general deluge of "truffles are expensive and awesome"-related media as of late, we wondered if this whole white-truffle business had gotten a little bit out of control. Then our very own magazine came out on Monday, complete with more truffle talk, and we knew that there was no point in fighting. There's nothing we can do but accept the darling tuber, regardless of whether we could ever afford it in our lifetimes.

And it's a good thing we've come to terms with the situation, because it just got a lot more intense.

The folks from Mikuni Wild Harvest have returned from Italy with a pungent, two-pound white truffle, which is currently being shopped around to the highest bidder. Wolfgang Puck is lusting after it for Spago, Charlie Trotter's also has expressed interest in a rendezvous, and back here in New York, the truffle is making the rounds as we speak (er, type). Our sources passed along the schedule: The truffle started its day at Gordon Ramsay; as of 12:40 p.m., it was finishing up its appointment with Per Se and heading down the hall to Masa. If Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccioni's one-pounder cost him a hefty $7,000, we can only imagine what sort of damage could be done by this latest beast.